Serial Number Based Storage Device Allocation

1. A method of allocating a storage device, comprising: mapping a serial number associated with the storage device to a device file associated with the storage device on a host having a connection to the storage device; mapping the serial number to a device address by which the storage device is known to a library with which the storage device is associated; receiving a request requiring that an available storage device be allocated to service the request; and allocating the storage device, based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings, to service the request.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising servicing the request based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 , wherein servicing the request based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings comprises causing the library to perform an operation with respect to the storage device including by using the serial number to device address mapping to identify the storage device to the library.

4. A method as recited in claim 2 , wherein servicing the request based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings comprises providing a response to the request, the response including an identification of the storage device determined based at least in part on the serial number to device file mapping.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein allocating the storage device comprises verifying that the serial number to device file mapping is still valid.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 , further comprising updating the serial number to device file mapping if it is determined that the serial number to device file mapping is no longer valid.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein mapping a serial number associated with the storage device to a device file associated with the storage device on a host having a connection to the storage device comprises querying the host to obtain from a host-facing side of the storage device said serial number associated with the storage device.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 , wherein querying the host comprises sending a query to an agent installed on the host.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the host is configured to obtain the serial number from the host-facing side of the storage device.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein mapping the serial number to a device address by which the storage device is known to a library with which the storage device is associated comprises querying the library to obtain from a library-facing side of the storage device said serial number associated with the storage device.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 , wherein querying the library comprises sending a query to an agent installed on a library control host associated with the library.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises a removable storage media drive.

13. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises an optical drive.

14. A method as recited in claim 1 , the storage device comprises a tape drive.

15. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises one of a plurality of storage devices associated with the library.

16. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the library comprises one of a plurality of libraries, each comprising one or more storage devices.

17. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the host comprises one of a plurality of hosts having a connection to the storage device.

18. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising storing data associated with the serial number to device file mapping in a data structure.

19. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising storing data associated with the serial number to device address mapping in a data structure.

20. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising storing data associated with the serial number to device file mapping and the serial number to device address mapping in a data structure.

21. A method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising storing data associated with the serial number to device file mapping in a first data structure and storing data associated with the serial number to device address mapping in a second data structure.

22. A system for allocating a storage device, comprising: a processor configured to: map a serial number associated with the storage device to a device file associated with the storage device on a host having a connection to the storage device; map the serial number to a device address by which the storage device is known to a library with which the storage device is associated; and a communication interface configured to receive a request requiring that an available storage device be allocated to service the request; wherein the processor is further configured to allocate the storage device, based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings, to service the request.

23. A computer program product for allocating a storage device, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for: mapping a serial number associated with the storage device to a device file associated with the storage device on a host having a connection to the storage device; mapping the serial number to a device address by which the storage device is known to a library with which the storage device is associated; receiving a request requiring that an available storage device be allocated to service the request; and allocating the storage device, based at least in part on the serial number to device file and serial number to device address mappings, to service the request.